Flagstone Restoration Archives - South Lancashire Tile Doctor

Flagstone Kitchen Floor Restoration Syke Rochdale

Flaking Flagstone Floor Kitchen Restored to New in Syke Rochdale

A homeowner from the Syke area of Rochdale contacted us with some pictures of their Flagstone kitchen floor. Unhappy with the appearance of the flagstone and having seen some of the work we had done previously he was keen to see if they could be restored, especially as many of the flags had flaked over the years on their upper surface.

Flagstone Kitchen Floor Before Restoration Syke Rochdale

Another factor was that he was planning to have a new kitchen installed and quite sensibly felt it would be best to deal with the floor first. He wanted to retain the flooring as it was in keeping with his home which was a very old and lovely terraced cottage.

Flagstone Kitchen Floor Before Restoration Syke Rochdale

Keen to explore the options I was asked to come over, survey the floor and come up with quotes for sprucing up the flags and making them a little easier to live with. After discussing the condition, requirements and budget we agreed to survey the floor with a view to milling the surface, cleaning, repointing and sealing the floor.

Following the survey, we booked in dates to mill approx. 25m2 of flagstone flooring in the kitchen using coarse grit diamond milling pads. The date was timed to fit in with the old kitchen being removed and before the new kitchen was to be installed.

Restorative Cleaning of Flagstones

The process to get the floor clean started with running a 50-Grit flexi milling pad over each flagstone several times using only water for lubrication. This very coarse pad cuts into the surface of the flagstone removing a thin layer of stone and revealing fresh untainted stone underneath, this also removes any flaking. After this the floor was rinsed with more water and the soiling extracted with a wet vacuum.

The floor was then deep cleaned using a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go scrubbed in with a silicon carbide brush which works well on rough floors as the brush gets into all the crevices and grout lines. Once the whole floor had been treated in this way the solution was rinsed off with water and extracted again using the wet vacuum.

This milling process was then continued using a variety of gritted pads. Gradually the finer pads slowly improved the surface of the stone.

Next the remaining old, loose mortar was removed, this was a slow process as you have to be careful not to chip the adjacent stone, however it was helped by the fact that a lot of the grouting was cracked anyway.

A lot of water was used cleaning the floor so to counter any latent efflorescence the floor was given an acid rinse using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up worked in with 200-grit soft burnishing pad. This was then rinsed off the floor and extracted with the wet vacuum.

To further improve the condition of the flagstone the floor was then burnished using a 400-grit burnishing pad lubricated with water. After another rinse and extraction, work started on repointing the floor using a modern permeable epoxy joint mortar.

Sealing a Flagstone Tiled Kitchen

Once the floor was dry, protection was added using Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal which is an oil-based fully breathable sealer that enhances the appearance of the flagstone. Using a breathable sealer is important on old floors of this type as they don’t have a damp proof membrane that will prevent moisture rising through the foundation. Excess sealer was then removed from the floor using a white buffing pad which also further brought up the appearance of the stone.

Flagstone Kitchen Floor After Restoration Syke Rochdale

The new sealer will prevent dirt from becoming ingrained in the pores of the stone, keeping it on the surface where it can be easily cleaned away. Once complete the floor was looked transformed by the process and my client was over the moon with the difference and left the following feedback:

“I’m amazed at the transformation to my flagged kitchen floor (I thought it was a lost cause). Kevin gave me top drawer service, explaining what he was doing and what I needed to do going forward. ”

Flagstone Kitchen Floor After Restoration Syke Rochdale

For aftercare cleaning I recommended the use of Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is a mild yet effective cleaner that won’t affect the new sealer.

Professional Restoration of a Flagstone Tiled Kitchen in South Lancashire

Flaking Flagstone Floor Kitchen Restored to New in Syke Rochdale Read More »

Flagstone Floor Restoration Standish Wigan

Flagstone Flooring Restoration at 300-Year-Old Cottage in Standish

1 Comment / Flagstone Tile Cleaning, Grout Cleaning, Sandstone Tile Cleaning, Wigan Tile Cleaning / Kevin Parry

A client from Standish near Wigan contacted Tile Doctor about the Flagstone flooring in the dining room and kitchen of their 320-year-old cottage. The floor was approximately 50m2 and after sending over several pictures of the floor via email we had a call to discuss the issues in detail. The floor clearly needed a deep clean and there were gaps in the pointing that needed to be filled and then the whole floor sealed. The flags were the original flooring from when the house was built in the late 1600’s, he wasn’t sure if they were sandstone, or something else.

Flagstone Kitchen Floor Before Milling Standish Wigan

Having seen examples of similar floors on our website he was keen to understand more about our milling service which is an aggressive cleaning option we offer. The system utilises coarse abrasive pads to remove a thin layer of stone from the surface taking out flaking in the process and resulting in an unblemished fresh surface. I sent over a few photos of more recent work I had completed on flagstones showing the results of the process and he felt it was exactly the finish they were looking for.

Unfortunately, a burst pipe in the kitchen added to the issue requiring some flags to be lifted and re-laid recently, some repairs were also needed to the kitchen units, but he wanted to deal with floor first. He wanted to retain the original flooring as it was in keeping with his home so replacing it was not an option. Keen to help I agreed to pop round and take a more detailed look at the issues.

Flagstone Floor Before Milling Standish Wigan

After surveying the floor and discussing the condition, requirements and budget we quoted on milling the flagstones in the kitchen, lounge and hallway floor using flexi diamond milling pads. Happy with the quote, we set a date for the work to start.

Milling a 300-Year-Old Flagstone Floor in Standish

Milling started by working over the flagstone with a coarse milling pad fitted to a specialised weighted rotary floor buffer. Using only water for lubrication and with the machine operating at low speed the pad was run over each flagstone several times to cut the stone back.

Flagstone Floor During Milling Standish Wigan

Flagstone Floor During Cleaning Standish Wigan

The process is so effective we often find that the pads are all you need to clean the stone so use very few chemicals are required with this process. Having said that I did have to scrub some Tile Doctor Remove and Go onto some stubborn staining during the process but in general the pads did most of the heavy lifting.

Flagstone Floor During Restoration Standish Wigan

There are several pads used in the burnishing process, starting with coarse and then moving onto finer grits. It’s also worth mentioning that the water turns into a fine slurry that has to be rinsed with more water and then extracted with a wet vacuum after each pad.

Once the milling was complete the floor was given an acid rinse using Tile Doctor Grout Clean-up which was worked in with another pad to further clean the stone and counter any alkaline salts that can be an issue with old floors with no damp proof membrane.

Whilst the floor was drying attention moved to the mortar. For this the old and loose mortar was removed and then repointed using a modern permeable epoxy joint mortar.

Sealing a Flagstone Tiled Kitchen, Lounge and Hallway Floor

Once the floor was fully dry it was sealed with Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal which is an impregnator that soaks into the pores of the stone protecting it from withing. This product also allows for vapour transmission so it will allow for any moisture to rise through the stone and evaporate at the surface. It’s important to use a fully breathable sealer on old floors like this to avoid damp building up under the floor where it can pool and reach out to the walls.

Flagstone Floor After Restoration Standish Wigan

The floor was transformed by the process and now looks great, also the new sealer will ensure dirt remains on the surface where it can be easily removed with regular cleaning. I was very happy with the result and so was my client who left the following feedback:

“We recently had our 300+ year old sandstone tiled kitchen and dining room professionally cleaned and treated by Kevin, our local Tile Doctor, and we couldn’t be more pleased with the results. The floors, which had dulled over time, have been brought back to life with care and expertise, revealing the natural beauty and character of the original stone. Although there may be cheaper options out there, we genuinely believe the quality of the work justifies the cost — it was money well spent. The attention to detail, professionalism, and clear passion for the craft were evident throughout. We’re absolutely delighted with the outcome and wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Kevin and Tile Doctor to anyone looking to restore their stone floors to their former glory”

Flagstone Floor After Restoration Standish Wigan

Before leaving, I took time to discuss aftercare which for this floor I recommended cleaning with Tile Doctor Neutral Tile Cleaner which is safe to use on sealed floors.

Professional Restoration of a Tired Flagstone Floor in South Lancashire

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Flagstone Kitchen Floor Resurfaced Blackburn Lancashire

200-Year-Old Flagstone Floor Resurfaces and Restored near Blackburn

1 Comment / Blackburn Tile Cleaning, Flagstone Tile Cleaning, Sandstone Tile Cleaning / Kevin Parry

This house in Blackburn used to be used as an Old Mill 200 years ago and given the poor condition of the flagstone floor I suspect it was the same age. You can see from the photos below the rough state the Flagstone was in and I could see even a deep clean and seal wouldn’t do them justice.

Flagstone Floor Before Restoration Blackburn

High pressure water cleaning on an old floor like this without a damp proof membrane in place would have caused damp issues especially in the winter months. The client has considered having the floor sand blasted but they had a young baby, and the dust would have got everywhere.

Clearly another option was required and fortunately we had the solution.

Resurfacing a 200-Year-Old Flagstone Kitchen Floor

Our plan was to resurface the stone by grinding away the top layer with very coarse pads to reveal an uncontaminated surface underneath. We call this process milling and it requires a special set of Diamond pads fitted to a weighted rotary machine using only water for lubrication. The water also captures the dust that is generated as the stone is resurfaced and makes cleaning much easier.

It is however hard work and starts with the application of a very coarse 50-grit DRB pad and then moving onto a 100 and 200-grit DRB pad slowly refining the stone’s appearance until you are left with a smooth fresh surface. The water turns into a slurry due to the dust and is vacuumed off the floor after the application of each pad. On this occasion I used applied a strong dilution of Tile Doctor Remove and Go as the last pad was run over the floor to make sure the surface was free of any contaminates that may have soaked into the stone over the years.

Flagstone Floor During Restoration Blackburn

Following the milling process the old loose lime-based pointing was carefully knocked out and then replaced with a new breathable flexible pointing product which adheres well past standard grout and holds fast without cracking.

Sealing a 200-Year-Old Flagstone Kitchen Floor

The next day the floor was dry and ready to be sealed. For this we used two coats of a fully breathable sealer called Tile Doctor X-Tra Seal which brings out the colour and transforms the stone, it adds a little bit of a sheen to the stone as well. X-Tra seal is a very modern oil-based sealer penetrates the pores of the stone and copes very well on floors that have no damp proof membrane, its even recommended for external applications.

Flagstone Floor After Restoration During Sealing Blackburn

You can see the results for yourself, the stone is a lot smoother to the touch and easier to clean and even if it was sandblasted it would still be a rough finish so milling the stone was the best option for an old flagstone floor like this one.

Flagstone Floor After Restoration Blackburn

Once finished the floor was transformed and our client was very happy with the work we had done.

One last point when caring for a sealed floor like this is it’s important not to clean the floor using strong bleach based cleaning products, even washing up liquid is too strong. It should be washed with a mild pH neutral cleaning product such as Tile Doctor Neutral Cleaner only that way will the sealer last the duration.

Professional Restoration of a Flagstone Kitchen Floor in Lancashire

200-Year-Old Flagstone Floor Resurfaces and Restored near Blackburn Read More »